Deviants (Homo descendus)
. Their rate of mutation was much higher than that of Homo sapiens. The few children who survived rarely resembled their own parents. For most of their history, their priesthood culled the most radical mutations and sacrificed them. Others who differed too much from the human baseline were called Mutates, who often wandered away or were exiled. Some of them encountered normal humans and gave rise to folklore stories about "trolls," "ogres," or other monsters. By the same token, Deviants who did not mutate enough, i.e. appeared "too human," were shunned , sometimes exiled or even killed. Conversely, beneficial mutations occurred more often. A typical Deviant had one or more traits that exceeded the human norm, such as intelligence, strength, or lifespan, or an entirely new ability. The only thing Deviants had in common is that they were all uncommon. Their heterogeneity, rather than fostering tolerance, made the Deviants hostile to all species, none more so than their own. The most basic positive feelings, such as the love between parent and child, or between husband and wife, were almost nonexistent in Deviant society. Other positive feelings, such as friendship, loyalty, and patriotism, thus had no emotional bedrock to support them. Those few Deviants who experienced such feelings kept them hidden. Their origins bound them to the Celestials and the Eternals. They once worshiped the Celestials as their makers. They saw the Eternals as rivals and warred against them throughout their history. World Rulers With their higher mutation rate, Deviants evolved faster than humans. Thus, they developed technology sooner. By approximately 20,000 BCE, they had built cities, above and below ground, and developed genetic engineering. Only their mistrust of each other and their constant battles with the Eternals had kept them from conquering Earth. In about 18,000 BCE, though, they controlled the whole planet except for Atlantis, from their capital on Lemuria. The Second Host of the Celestials arrived on Earth circa 16,000 BCE. The Deviants, in the middle of another assault on Atlantis, attacked the Celestial ship. In retaliation, the Celestials bombed Lemuria. At the same time, the Atlanteans opened their magma vents to drive off the Deviants. The bomb destroyed Lemuria, and the shock waves from it, combined with the open vents, sank Atlantis. This Great Cataclysm reshaped the Earth's surface . Most of the Deviants died in the blast and in the subsequent devastation. The survivors took refuge in their underground cities. They stopped worshiping the Celestials in general; now they worshiped the "Dreaming Celestial," whom they believed had been punished for creating them. The priesthood changed Purity Time, their culling ritual; now they put the "sacrifices" in suspended animation as an army to attack the Celestials when they returned. The modern amphibious Atlanteans appeared around 6,500 BCE. The Deviants may have created them as an experiment. Modern Era The Third Host of the Celestials visited circa 1,000 BCE. The Deviants and the Eternals called a truce between themselves and pledged to stop interfering with humans until the Fourth Host would arrive. In 1976due to the sliding timescale, that date must be considered topical, the Fourth Host arrived to judge Earth . Their truce with the Eternals over, the Deviants attacked New York City to trick the humans into attacking the Celestials . As usual, though, they spent as much, if not more, effort on disputes with each other. They did manage to invade Olympia, the home of the Eternals. Led by the high priest, Brother Tode, the Deviants posed such a threat that the Eternals formed their Uni-Mind, trapped the invaders in a stone block, and took it into space. After the Fourth Host found Earth acceptable, they abandoned their plan to destroy it and left. The history of Lemuria since then mainly consisted of a series of power struggles between the priesthood (usually represented by Ghaur) and the monarchy (usually represented by Kro). Deviant Groups In the mid-20th century, a group of idealistic Deviants, Eternals, and humans put aside their differences and created the Damocles Foundation. The invention of the atomic bomb convinced them that all three species needed to find a way to coexist, which would only happen when they recombined into a single species. The Foundation believed that that single species would be mutants, and they intended to control the future by creating and controlling those mutants. Their leader was Odysseus Indigo; their members included a group called Sword (made up of Argos the Hunter, Pyre, Stranglehold, and Zona), Marcelus, and Veeg. As it turned out, the Celestials had created Deviants on other worlds. The Deviants of Earth learned of them when a group of extraterrestrial Deviants arrived, having overthrown their own worlds' base species. The two groups naturally refused to assimilate, so the newcomers established a city called Lyonesse beneath New York. They intended to conquer Earth as they did other worlds. The Underground Legion was a government-backed team of Deviants, mutants, and heroes protecting the secret of Lyonesse. They called their leader Blackwulf, even though the original Blackwulf (Pelops) died. His brother Lucian replaced him. Delta Network The Delta Network consisted of Deviants from both Lemuria and Lyonesse, who hoped that one day the Deviants could rejoin their human cousins and assimilate themselves into humanity at large. Not surprisingly, most of them already appeared human. A group of Delta Network members, calling themselves Delta Force and led by Kro, undertook one mission. Notable members included Dark Angel/Tzabaoth (Donald & Deborah Ritter), Dragona, Enigmo, Karkas, Ransak the Reject, El Toro Rojo, and Metabo. Notable Deviants Notable Deviants include: Gelt, Kro, Morjak, Brother Tode, Ahqlau, Broop, Ignatz, Karygmax, Ragar, Shelmar, Sledge, Sluice, Spike, Taras Vol, Tutinax the Mountain-Mover, and Queen Vira. Other Deviants Not-so-notable Deviants (appearing only once) include Chudar, Coal, Darg, General Dasra, Dulpus, Dzyan, Erishkigal, Fascit, Frathag, Ghiough, Haag, Jorro, Nuncio Klarheit, Kra, Lugner, Medula, Morda, Morga, Plokohrel, Phraug, Ranar, String, Thunder, Tobias, Brother Visara, Yrdisis, and Zakka. Deviant Mutates Notable Mutates include: Brutus, Dromedan, Giganto, Gigantus (Aquatic Monster), Glomm, Gorgilla, Gort, Maelstrom, Molten Man-Thing, and Tricephalous. Other Mutates include: Bandrhude, Cataphrax, Megataur, Minotaur, Neolithic, Spore, and the World-Devouring Worm. Of Lyonesse Deviants of Lyonesse include: Bristle, Blackwulf (Pelops), Blackwulf (Lucian), Id, Khult, Lady Trident, Mammoth (human / deviant hybrid), Nirvana (deceased), Pandara, Schizo, Tantalus (deceased), Touchstone, Toxin, and Wraath (alternate future version of Mammoth), Lady Trident (human / deviant hybrid) Associated Beings usually associated with the Deviants, but who are not Deviants themselves, include Grottu (a mutated ant) and the Lizard Men of Subterranea. The other Subterranean races such as Moloids, Gortokians and Tyrannoids. | Habitat = | Gravity = | Atmosphere = | Population = | Powers = | Abilities = | AvgStrength = | Weaknesses = | GovernmentType = alternates between feudal monarchy and theocracy | TechnologyLevel = Advanced | CulturalTraits = xenophobia | Representatives = | Notes = * Even though their first official appearance didn't take place until in 1976, a retcon that made the inhabitants of monster island into Deviants retconned their first appearance to in 1961. | Trivia = | Links = *Marvel Directory }} Category:Homo sapiens Category:Celestials Experiment Category:Genus Homo